Remembering the point of what’s going on seems to be pretty important. Keeping the point in mind helps focus the direction of the story. Getting to the point saves a lot of hassle. Stating the point clearly keeps people interested in the story.
Well then, as we reflect on the season that's slipping by, what’s the point of Christmas?
I know how we celebrate it. I get into that whole thing. My heart gets a little fluttery at the sight of white Christmas lights and red bows. I love Christmas cookies and candy canes and shiny ornaments and family gatherings. I love the smell of a good fir tree. I love caroling and wrapping and unwrapping.
But could someone just cut to the chase? What’s the point?
I guess if I were to use literary devices to determine the point, I would examine the main characters. I’ll pick two for now.
Jolly Old Saint Nick. He's a good one to start with. The Christmas season practically begins with writing him a wish list, and the climax of the big day itself is running down the stairs to see what goodies he’s left in exchange for cookies. But how did he get roped into the Christmas festivities anyway?
I'm not entirely sure, but many stories have been told of a Saint Nicholas through the years, the evolutions of which have led to the Western version of Santa Claus. There are many legends of the original Nicholas- where he was from, what he did, and whether or not he could do extraordinary things, but all testify to the same general theme: Nicholas was a man who gave to those in great need.
Now for the other leading character: the baby in a manger. There is element of mystery surrounding his appearance on Christmas Eve. Why was it such a big deal that he was born anyway? He was a squalling infant, born to unassuming people in an unassuming place. If He truly was God incarnate, why would He even bother to show up on earth as a baby?
To answer a few of these questions, it seems necessary to go to the beginning, the very beginning...
God is perfect and holy. His very nature does not allow Him to be in contact with sin. Man is the opposite of perfect and holy. The turning away from God, or sin, brought a great need to the very core of humanity- we were no longer able to be in direct communication with the very One who created us. We had no hope of being in connection with God because our radiating scum cannot even encroach upon His radiant glory. Thankfully, God didn't abandon His plan for the world because of the distance. He set up a system of sacrifice in the Old Testament, because there had to be payment for the wrongs committed. But that wasn’t enough. To approach God through the blood of lambs was a messy process. A tedious process. A repetitive process. A gory and ritualistic process. Praise God that He wasn’t through with His plan to bring that which screwed up back to Himself.
That’s where Christmas comes in!
A perfect child was born into the world, one who was fully God and fully man. This perfect little babe would grow up to become the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. His sacrifice made man clean, not for a day, but forever. Man could now have access to the perfect and holy God of creation, not because of his perfection, but because of Jesus’ sacrifice. And all that man needed to do to take advantage of that opportunity was acknowledge that Jesus was the sacrifice, that He was the perfect son of God.
He was God’s gift to needy people, in need of a right relationship with Him.
All right… I’m starting to see the trend. You could say that the point to the baby’s story is much like that of Santa Claus. The point of both stories is giving to those in need.
More accurately, Saint Nick was probably just someone responding to that gift. Because of God's gift to a broken, needy people, a man responded and gave to other broken, needy people. Of course, he didn't give them a way to reunite with the Creator of the universe, but he did what he could with what he had. What a legacy!
And how do we celebrate these legacies?
Well, for Saint Nick, we shove him into a tacky faux-fur and make him the poster child for obesity. We give him a few mythical flying caribou and demand that he bring our every wish, whether we’ve been good or not.And what of the baby? The perfect sacrifice that re-connected us with our Maker? He is contained nicely in Christmas carols or lays serenely in the front-yard nativity scenes as his blue-eyed plastic self with his very Caucasian parents glowing eerily over him.
I personally want to echo their example, but most of my loved ones don't really need anything. Therefore, I spend a good portion of the year trying to find a “need” in their lives. Never mind that the need ends up being a candle or probably something that they didn’t even want.
I did say that remembering the point of what's going on seems to be pretty important. No wonder our Christmas holidays seem so harried. It is necessary to keeping the point in mind in order to focus the direction of our very own Christmas story. Getting to the point could even save us a lot of the holiday hassle. Perhaps getting to the point of Christmas would get us interested in an even greater story- that God loved this broken, needy world so much that He gave His one and only Son Jesus. And if only we would believe that He did what He says He did, we will not die but have eternal life with our loving Creator (John 3:16).
Lord Jesus,
I praise You for not giving up on us when we made that first mistake to chose a way other than Yours. Thank You for seeking us time and time again when there is no way that we deserved a love like the one You offer. Thank You that this is the meaning of Christmas.
Please transform me so that I might use this season as a time to be as Nicholas was, to give to those who are truly needy. Open my eyes to the needs that I can fulfill. And please, let me use this season as a time to rejoice that You have fulfilled my deepest need- to be connected with the One Who created me and loves me more than earthly possible.
I am thankful for Your great love for me.
Catherine
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